Nakazen — Restaurant in Kyoto

I am quite lucky to have a chance to dine here 3 times already and all of the time is stunning. The food itself resemble the Kaiseki cuisine or the Japanese tradition course meal but prepare and serve to you on the counter top bar where the chef display all the preparation and also have a chance to chat with the chef during the meal, thus called the style differently as 'Kappo'. All the dishes are seasonal and skillfully cooked. The price for the course meal may seems high but compare to the top class Kappo or Kaiseki restaurants, I think it is highly competitive. . However, I should also warn here that this style of food may not for everyone. Some dish are quite an acquire taste and some are quite 'mature' taste - like enjoying the bitterness of the river fish's liver. In short, not all the dish will be 'comfortable' to your palate but it's a learning experience of sort as well. I think the food is on par with any 3 michelin-starred...

I want to express my gratitude to both the chef and his wife for truly enhancing our experience in Kyoto. Their exceptional culinary skills and high-quality service made our day truly special. We savored every bite of the delicious, exquisitely presented dishes that were bursting with umami flavors. What set this dining experience apart was their thoughtful gesture of providing us with a picture guidebook showcasing the ingredients and fish used in each dish, which proved invaluable for non-Japanese speakers. This unique touch was definitely a highlight for the night. Price was reasonable for an 11 dish course. Overall a 10/10 experience. Just wish I could speak some Japanese so could have had some chit-chat with the two...

Fantastic experience, from beginning to end. The chef and his wife are very kind and warm, they treated us so nicely. Food was delicious, every flavour and texture perfectly intertwined in ways that will make your palate come alive. We were surprised by the variety of ingredients, the different dishes were very interesting and it was also fun to have the chef come over and show different steps of the preparation. All of the dishes were explained to us by the wife, whose service was impeccable. They even stepped out of the restaurant to bow and wave us goodbye, it was so touching. Note: the portions are very generous. Arigato Gozaimasu!!! From your customers from...